Interview with William B. "Bill" Keightley, November 8, 2005
Project: University of Kentucky Athletics: William B. Keightley Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Bill Keightley discusses former coach Adolph Rupp and the University of Kentucky men's basketball program during the 1960s. In his discussion of Rupp, Keightley focuses on his recruitment of African American players, what he considers his historic mischaracterization as a racist, his personality, coaching style, biggest rivals, and his thoughts on the toughest venues in which to play an opposing team. Keightley discusses several of the key players and teams of the 1960s, including Cotton Nash, “Rupp's Runts” and Randy Embry. Additionally, he discusses the late 1960s anti-war movement and its effect on the University of Kentucky campus, Coach Rupp, and on the basketball team.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Bill Keightley William B. Keightley NCAA National Championship--1966 African Americans--Social conditions. African American basketball players African Americans--Sports Discrimination in sports African American college students. African Americans--Segregation College integration Integration Race discrimination. Race relations--Kentucky RacismInterview LC Subject
African American basketball players College athletes--Recruiting Keightley, William Bond, 1926-2008 Keightley, William Bond, 1926-2008--Interviews National Collegiate Athletic Association. Basketball Tournament Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977 Segregation Smith, Tubby University of Kentucky--Basketball--History University of Kentucky--Basketball University of Kentucky--Basketball--1963-1964 University of Kentucky--Basketball--1965-1966 Basketball coaches--Kentucky Basketball players--Kentucky Basketball Basketball--Coaching College athletes College choice College environment College sports. College sports--Coaching College sports--Scouting Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team) University of KentuckyInterview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Keightley, William B. Interview by Jeffrey Suchanek. 08 Nov. 2005. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Keightley, W.B. (2005, November 08). Interview by J. Suchanek. University of Kentucky Athletics: William B. Keightley Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Keightley, William B., interview by Jeffrey Suchanek. November 08, 2005, University of Kentucky Athletics: William B. Keightley Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt71c53dz98c